1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to reusable holders for fluid containers and, more particularly, to a reusable bottle holder primarily designed for conventional, large soft drink bottles that do not possess integral handles.
2. Description of the Background
The marketing of soft drink beverages in large, plastic bottles (e.g. 2-liter, 3-liter), that are not equipped with integral handles, is commonplace. Bottles of this type are typically manufactured of relatively flexible plastics such as polyethylene teraphthalate (PET). Although these types of bottles permit a cost effective means for bottling soft drink beverages, there are drawbacks associated with their handling by consumers. Unfortunately, as the contents of a bottle are emptied and replaced by air, particularly when the popular 2-liter bottle is involved, the bottle becomes easily deformable, thus increasing the challenge of holding on to it. This is particularly true with respect to consumers (e.g. children) with smaller-than-average hands. In fact, this deformation may increase to such a degree that the bottle slips from the grasp of the consumer, causing the spilling of the remainder of its contents along with other inconveniences and/or safety hazards.
The present inventor is not the first to address the need for a means of easily maintaining one's hold on large, “handle-less” bottles. Examples of apparatus for this purpose may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,924 to McCrumb, U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,964 to Escalante, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,971 to Henline.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,378,924 to McCrumb discloses a reusable, releasable, bottle holder device for commonly-used bottles. The device includes a pair of rigid, semi-annular plates hingedly mounted to each other along one edge. Each of the rigid plates is pre-formed with a concave curve to receive a bottle. The device includes first and second handle halves attached to an edge of each of the semi-annular plate having at least one pin in the second handle half situated to co-operably engage with at least one ring opening in the first handle half in the closed position. Unfortunately, repeated use of this device can result in material fatigue, and eventually failure, either along the hinged edge of the plates or at the point(s) of cooperative engagement between the pin(s) and the ring opening(s). Failure of the material along the hinged edge would result in the complete separation of the plates while failure of the material at the point(s) of cooperative engagement would result in the inability to hold the device closed around a bottle. Either circumstance renders the device useless.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,964 to Escalante discloses a bottle holder comprising a lattice-like structure sized to enclose approximately the lower half of a bottle and having latching means engageable with a portion of said bottle to releasably lock the bottle in the bottle holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,971 to Henline discloses a handle for use with a bottle of the type having a flange extending circumferentially around the neck of the bottle typically used in the marketing of soft drink beverages. The handle comprises three distinct integral portions, a first ring-shaped holder slips over and around the body of the bottle, a second ring-shaped holder fits over the flange of the bottle when properly positioned and is secured to the bottom surface of the flange, and the gripping portion extending from the first to the second ring-shaped holder.
Unfortunately, in use, the Escalante and Henline apparatus can exert inappropriate forces along the central section of the bottle—the section of the bottle that is the most flexible, or deformable. Inappropriate forces exerted on the mid-section of the bottle can cause the contents of the bottle to unexpectedly gush out of the neck opening resulting in unnecessary spillage.
Therefore, there remains a need for a bottle holder that is not subject to material fatigue/failure and does not contact the bottle along its very flexible mid-section. To the best of the knowledge of the present inventors, no such apparatus exists. An apparatus of this type should, while providing a substantial degree of utility in holding onto a large bottle while dispensing its contents, possess a simple design, be fabricated of strong, lightweight materials, and be economical to manufacture.